October 21, 2011 Holy Land Tour
Join Gordon Madsen as your LDS director on your journey to the Holy Lands. Gordon has been taking groups to Israel for many years and has directed over 20 Israel Tours. You will love having him as your LDS guide. In addition to the LDS guide, we will be accompanied by an Israeli guide, who is one of the best. He is very personable, knowledgeable and easy to understand. Our tours emphasize the study of the scriptures as we walk in Christ’s footsteps. Experience an education week on location and an uplifting experience never to be forgotten!
Prices: $1,995 per person based on double occupancy plus round trip airfare
Credit card price is $2,095 — Guarantee your spot and price with deposit
| Included In Tour | Not Included |
| * Hotels (4 & 5 Star) | * International Airfare |
| * Breakfast and Dinner | * Lunch |
| * 1st Class Coach | * Personal Items |
| * LDS Guide and Israeli Guide | |
| * Tips | |
| * All Entrance Fees |
Oct 21: Flight To Tel Aviv
Oct 22: Arrive in Tel Aviv: Enjoy a relaxing evening to recover from jet lag and prepare for our wonderful adventure.
Oct 23: Tel Aviv – Jaffa – Caesarea – Mt. Carmel
W
e will begin our vacation with a city tour of Tel Aviv and then a visit of Old Jaffa (Joppa) and the Artists’ Quarters. Jaffa is where Peter received his vision leading to the expansion of missionary work to the Gentiles and is also the place that Jonah attempted to flee from the Lord’s presence aboard a ship bound for Tarshish. From Jaffa, we will travel along the Mediterranean coast to the Roman, New Testament capital, Caesarea. Once in Caesarea, we will see an ancient Roman theatre and study the Biblical events that happened here. On our drive to Haifa, we will get a view of the Haifa Bay from the top of Mount Carmel, which is the traditional site of Elijah’s confrontation with the prophets of Baal. We will overnight at our hotel in Tiberias.
Oct 24: Cana – Megiddo – Nazareth – Jordan River
Our adventure today begins with a visit to Megiddo, which is prophesied as the venue for Armageddon (derived from the name’s place in Hebrew) or the final battle between the forces of light led by Jesus Christ and the forces of darkness led by Satan or the Anti-Christ after the End of Days. From Megiddo, we will drive via Cana, the place where Christ turned water into wine at a wedding feast, on our way to Nazareth. Nazareth was the boyhood home of Jesus. Here we will see the Church of Annunciation and a local synagogue. We will continue on to a beautiful spot along the Jordan River. Then we will return to our hotel in Tiberias.
Oct 25: Sea of Galilee – Mount Hermon – Capernaum – Mount of Beatitudes – Golan Heights
Today will begin with a drive along the coasts of the Sea of Galilee before arriving at Capernaum, which was the center of Jesus’ Galilean ministry. In Capernaum, Christ performed many miracles and gave many teachings, including the “Bread of Life” sermon. We will see the remains of a synagogue from the time of Christ, which very well may have been the synagogue in which he taught. Following our visit to Capernaum, we will take a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. From Capernaum we will go to the Mount of Beatitudes, where parts of the “Sermon on the Mount” will be share and discussed. We’ll continue on to Banias at the foot of Mount Hermon, which is the site of Peter’s testimony of Savior and one of the sources of the Jordan River as it emerges from the foothills of Mount Hermon. Return to our hotel in Tiberias.
Oct 26: Beth Shean – Jordan Valley – Jericho – Bethany – Mount Tabor
We will check out of our hotel this morning and begin our drive to Mount Tabor. Few events in the Bible equal the events that took place on Mt. Tabor. It was here that Christ was transfigured and heavenly messengers conferred the keys of the kingdom to Peter, James and John. We will then visit the strategic site of Beth Shean. At these impressive ruins we will see the splendor of Roman life and Hellenistic culture. Here Saul’s body was nailed to the city walls when he was captured. We will then drive through the Jordan Valley passing by Jericho and review some of the important scriptural events that took place on the road to Jericho. From here we will continue on to Jerusalem. We will make a brief stop in Bethany and talk of the raising of Lazarus from the dead. We will check into our hotel in Jerusalem for a relaxing evening.
Oct 27: Jerusalem – Mount of Olives – Old City – Last Supper – Mount Zion – Western Wall
We will begin our first full day in Jerusalem on the Mount of Olives, where we can view and discuss the history of the Old City of Jerusalem. Then we will begin a walking tour of the Old City in which we will see Mount Zion, visit the Room of the Last Supper, the St. Anna Church with the Pools of Bethesda, and the Antonia Fortress. We will walk the “Via Dolorosa”, which is the traditional road that Christ walked on his way to Golgotha. We will walk through the Jewish Quarter to the Western Wall and descend into the tunnels of the Western Wall. We will see the Cardo Maximus, a Roman Street, and conclude walking through the Oriental Bazaar. We will return to our hotel in the evening.
Oct 28: Qumran – Monastery – Massada – Dead Sea
We will begin our day by driving to Massada. Here we will take a cable car to the top of Masada to see the ruins of the palace-fortress built by King Herod. We will discuss the history of the Zealots’ last stand against the Romans. From Masada, we will drive to Qumran to visit the sites in which the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. For those interested in swimming, we will stop on our way back at a beach on the Dead Sea where those who would like can float in the salty water.
Oct 29: Jerusalem Center — Hezekiah’s Tunnel – Garden Tomb
We will begin our day with a tour of the BYU Jerusalem Center. After our visit to the BYU Jerusalem Center, we will visit the Orson Hyde Garden and then we will return to the Old City and visit Christ’s tomb and the Temple Mount. We will visit the Garden of Gethsemane and then travel to the House of Caiaphas, where Peter denied Christ. From the Garden Tomb, we are able to view the ancient Golgotha. Here we will be discuss and ponder the final moments of Christ’s mortal life and his glorious resurrection. The final visit will be to Hezekiah’s tunnel (remember to bring your flashlights and possibly a change of pants, which will get wet).
Oct 30: West Jerusalem – Israel Museum – Bethlehem – Free Time
As the morning begins, we will be visit the Shrine of the Book where we will see the Holy Land Model, a unique scale model of Jerusalem. Within Israel’s most prestigious museum, we will find the Shrine of the Book, which is a display of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Following out visit to the Dead Sea Scrolls, we will go to Bethlehem to visit the traditional sites of Christ’s birth. In the afternoon, there will be some free time for last minute shopping or relaxing. Late night transfer to airport for flight back to United States.
October 31: Arrive Home
* $300 per person deposit required when booking – deposit is non-refundable. It is transferrable
* We reserve the right to cancel the tour if we don’t meet a minimum group size of 16
* Price is based on double occupancy. $600 single supplement.
* Full payment is due on August 14, 2011
* Tour is non-refundable after August 14. Travel insurance may be recommended
To Reserve Call 800-217-7660 or 801-850-1498
About the Director: Gordon Madsen is married to Carol Cornwall. They have 6 children and 12 grandchildren. He is a former seminary teacher (11 years) and temple square guide (21 years). He has contributed to various church publications, manuals and professional (legal) publications. He has directed LDS tour groups throughouth the United States, British Isles and Israel, having taken over 20 groups to Israel.